COURSE, cURRICULUM, AND lABORATORY iMPROVEMENT pROGRAM (CCLI)
Program Solicitation
NSF 00-63
Division of Undergraduate Education
directorate for education and human resources
deadline Dates:
CCLI - ND TRACK Preliminary: April 24, 2000
CCLI - A&I Track: June 5, 2000
CCLI - EMD TRACK: JUNE 6, 2000
CCLI - ND TRACK: JUNE 6, 2000
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
he National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants for research and education in the sciences, mathematics and engineering.
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summary of Program Requirements
General Information
Program Name: Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement Program
Short Description/Synopsis of Program:
The Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program seeks to improve the quality of Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technological (SMET) education for all students and targets activities affecting learning environments, course content, curricula, and educational practices. The program has three tracks:
1. Educational Materials Development (CCLI-EMD)
Projects are expected to produce innovative materials that incorporate effective educational practices to improve student learning of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Projects to develop textbooks, software, or laboratory materials for commercial distribution are appropriate. Two types of EMD projects will be supported: a) those that intend to demonstrate the scientific and educational feasibility of an idea, a “proof of concept” or prototype, and b) those based on prior experience with a prototype that intend to fully develop the product or practice. Such materials are expected to be disseminated nationally for adoption and adaptation.
2. Adaptation and Implementation (CCLI-A&I)
Projects are expected to result in improved education in science, mathematics, engineering and technology at academic institutions through adaptation and implementation of exemplary materials, laboratory experiences, and/or educational practices that have been developed and tested at other institutions. Proposals may request funds in any category normally supported by NSF, or may request funds to purchase only instrumentation.
3. National Dissemination (CCLI-ND)
Projects are expected to provide faculty with professional development opportunities to enable them to introduce new content into undergraduate courses and laboratories, and to explore effective educational practices to improve their teaching effectiveness. Projects should be designed to on an efficient scale, offering of workshops, short courses, or similar activities on a national scale in single or multiple disciplines or broadly within single disciplines.
Projects are expected to engage in large-scale, national dissemination of exemplary materials and practices in multiple disciplines, and provide professional development for faculty through a national offering of workshops, short courses, or similar activities.
Contact Information:
CCLI-EMD – (703) 306-1681
CCLI-A&I – (703) 306-1671
CCLI-ND – (703) 306-1668
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Nos.: 47.076
Eligibility
¨ Limitation on the categories of organizations that are eligible to submit proposals:
Proposals are invited from organizations in the United States and its territories: two-year colleges, four-year colleges, universities, professional societies, consortia of institutions, and non-profit and for-profit organizations.
¨ PI eligibility limitations:
None
¨ Limitation on the number of proposals that may be submitted by a PI:
An individual may be the lead PI on only one CCLI proposal per solicitation and also may be a Co-PI on other proposals. There is no restriction on the number of proposals for which a person may serve as a Co-PI.
award information
¨ Type of award anticipated: Standard or Continuing Grant
¨ Number of awards anticipated in FY2001: 300
¨ Amount of funds available: Approximately $44 million in FY2001, pending availability of funding.
¨ Anticipated date of award: December 2000
Proposal Preparation & Submission Instructions
¨ Proposal Preparation Instructions
· Letter of intent requirements: No letter of intent is required
· Preproposal requirements: CCLI-A&I and CCLI-EMD tracks do not require preproposals. It is suggested that CCLI-ND submissions have a telephone discussion (as discussed under the CCLI ND track later in this document) and submit a preliminary project description by no later than April 24, 2000. Feedback will be provided within two weeks.
· Proposal preparation instructions: Standard NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG, NSF 00-02) instructions and supplemental instructions in this program solicitation
· Supplemental proposal preparation instructions: See the detailed instructions later in this program solicitation.
· Deviations from standard (GPG) proposal preparation instructions: See the detailed instructions later in this program solicitation.
¨ Budgetary Information
· Cost sharing/matching requirements: All tracks require instrumentation (e.g. scientific apparatus and devices, laboratory and field instrumentation, computers, software, etc.) requests to be matched by non-Federal sources. CCLI-A&I also requires matching of the entire NSF budget request. Minority serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges (United States Department of Education Accredited Postsecondary Minority Institutions) that do not offer SMET degrees beyond the baccalaureate level are exempted from this requirement. (For more information on this exemption, please see the DUE web site at <http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/general/msi.htm>.)
· Indirect cost limitations: None
· Other budgetary limitations: See detailed range of expected award sizes later in the program solicitation.
¨ FastLane Requirements
· FastLane proposal preparation requirements: Use of FastLane is required.
· FastLane point of contact: Ms. Romona Truesdale, Division of Undergraduate Education, Room835, telephone (703)306-1670, e-mail > or FastLane Help Desk, telephone (703) 306-1142, e-mail <>.
¨ Deadline/Target Dates
· Preliminary project description deadline (CCLI-ND only): April 24, 2000
· Proposal deadline
CCLI Adaptation and Implementation: June 5, 2000, 5:00 PM submitter’s local time
CCLI Educational Material Development: June 6, 2000, 5:00 PM submitter’s local time
CCLI National Dissemination: June 6, 2000, 5:00 PM submitter’s local time
Proposal Review Information
¨ Merit review criteria: Standard National Science Board approved criteria, supplemented by program-specific criteria described in this program solicitation.
Award Administration Information
¨ Special grant conditions anticipated: Please see Budgetary Information above for special cost sharing/matching requirements.
¨ Special reporting requirements anticipated: None
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Introduction
Undergraduate education is central to the National Science Foundation's mission in human resource development. Whether preparing students to participate as citizens in a technological society, to enter the workforce with two- or four-year degrees, to continue their formal education in graduate school, or to further their education in response to new career goals or workplace expectations, undergraduate education provides the critical link between the Nation's secondary schools and a society increasingly dependent upon science and technology.
The Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) serves as the focal point for NSF's agency-wide effort in undergraduate education. Programs administered by DUE with continuations in FY 2001 include:
· Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI)
· Advanced Technological Education (ATE)
· Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarships (CSEMS)
· National Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education Digital Library (NSDL)
Other programs are described in separate program announcements. Updates may be issued, as needed, to announce relevant changes or additions. To stay current with the DUE program offerings, periodically visit the DUE Web site (http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/DUE/start.htm). All NSF publications referenced in this document are available via the NSF Online Document System <http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/pubsys/browser/odbrowse.pl>.
RATIONALE FOR DUE PROGRAMS
DUE's programs and leadership efforts reflect the recommendations made in Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF 96-139), in the National Research Council report From Analysis to Action: Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NRC, 1996), and in the National Research Council Report Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (NRC, 1999). These reports and follow-on activities have had broad-based input involving faculty from SMET disciplines, presidents and other administrators at academic institutions, representatives from business and industry, students, and parents. These activities highlight the importance of undergraduate SMET education for all students, including:
· SMET majors
· Prospective pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 (preK-12) teachers
· Students preparing for the technological workplace
· All students, as citizens in a society increasingly dependent upon science and technology.
The percentages of underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and women who pursue careers in SMET fields need to increase if this nation is to realize its full potential. The "non-traditional" student (e.g., part-time student, working parent, career-changing adult) is also an important constituent.
High quality undergraduate SMET education for all students calls for more effective linkages between preK-12 schools and institutions of higher education, between two- and four-year institutions, between undergraduate and graduate education, and between higher education and business/industry to better prepare students for entry and growth in the technological workplace.
Faculty members who creatively combine teaching with research are essential to the improvement of undergraduate SMET education. NSF seeks to stimulate and motivate faculty members so that creative teaching and pedagogical scholarship become a part of the "faculty culture" at all institutions.
The opportunity for faculty and their institutions to have a major impact on undergraduate education is greater than ever. Increased national recognition of the importance of SMET education, coupled with rapid growth in new teaching and learning technologies, innovations in preK-12 education, increased understanding of how students learn, and successful interdisciplinary approaches, creates new opportunities for improving undergraduate education. These developments provide the foundation for systemic reform, i.e., the totality of effort required of institutions to achieve excellence in SMET undergraduate education for all students.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The CCLI program has three tracks that emphasize, respectively, the development of new educational materials and practices for a national audience, the adaptation and implementation into an institution of previously developed exemplary materials and practices, and the national dissemination of exemplary materials and/or practices. Projects may address the needs of a single discipline or cut across disciplinary bounds. Applicants must identify on the Cover Sheet and on the Project Data Form (Form 1295) the track in which they wish their project to be reviewed.
In CCLI, the word "laboratory" includes experiences ranging from those fully integrated within a course to those forming separate components in the curriculum. The setting may involve, for example, a field site, an observatory, a computer room, or an integrated laboratory/classroom, as well as the traditional laboratory.
Track 1: Educational Materials Development (CCLI-EMD)
The objective of the CCLI-EMD track is to support the development of educational materials that incorporate practices that are effective in improving learning of science, mathematics, engineering, or technology by undergraduates with diverse backgrounds and career aspirations. Projects are expected to address national needs or opportunities in undergraduate SMET education and to produce innovative materials of a quality and significance appropriate for national distribution, adoption, adaptation, and implementation.
The CCLI-EMD track invites two types of proposals that aim to achieve these goals: a) those that intend to establish a “proof of concept” or a prototype that would be responsive to a national need, and b) those that intend to fully develop a product or practice for national dissemination.
Proof of Concept
A “proof of concept” project is expected to demonstrate the scientific and the educational feasibility of an idea. If development of the prototype proves successful, the project would be expected to move to full-scale development of the materials. Such a proposal for full development could be submitted to NSF for peer review and possible funding, or to other sources of potential support.
The outcomes expected of a CCLI-EMD Proof-of-Concept project shall include all of the following:
· A prototype that addresses a nationally recognized need and is based upon sound, effective pedagogy;
· A pilot test that provides a credible evaluation of the prototype;
· A report of the results of the evaluation; and
· Dissemination to the professional community about the prototype.
The Project Description portion of the proposal should describe the plans to achieve these outcomes.
If in your judgement the completed proof-of-concept proves successful, an outline of a plan for the following should be included in the final report:
· Developing the prototype into the full project, including beta testing and evaluation of the product at diverse types of institutions and with diverse student populations, and
· Commercial or the self-sustained distribution of a fully developed product or practice.
Full Development
A full development project is expected to produce and evaluate significant new educational materials and pedagogical practices, and to promote their dissemination and effective implementation nationally.
The outcomes expected of the funded projects include all of the following:
· The full development of innovative materials that incorporate effective teaching and learning strategies, and that are based upon prior experience with a prototype;
· A credible evaluation of the effectiveness of the materials or practices at different types of institutions serving students with diverse backgrounds and career goals;
· Faculty at test sites and other potential users are prepared to use the materials or practice;
· Dissemination of information about the developed materials; and
· Commercial or other self-sustaining national distribution (for example, distribution through a commercial publisher or discipline-based professional society)
The Project Description portion of the proposal should describe the plans to achieve these outcomes.
The proposal may include a request for funds to conduct workshops or other forms of faculty development to enhance the impact of materials and products developed by the project. Alternatively, when a project is at a stage where materials are ready for use and their effectiveness has been demonstrated, the project PI may submit a request for a supplement to the grant to fund such activities. The request for the supplement must be justified on the basis of the quality of materials developed and the potential value of the proposed activities. Projects interested in supplemental funds should contact the NSF Program Director assigned to the project.